


My Speech about Fanfiction in Class

by FeminineBrain



Category: No Fandom
Genre: Essays, scholarly work, speech
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-26 07:58:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4996840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeminineBrain/pseuds/FeminineBrain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is just something I wrote as a presentation in my class in college.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Speech about Fanfiction in Class

In a world of creativity and talent, individuals such as JK Rowling and Stephen Spielberg create characters, worlds, and circumstances. These creations then instantly captivate and inspire us. In this vein, the people who are then captivated and inspired become what is called a ‘Fan’. This term is used to describe a person that has come to appreciate or support anything or anyone. Some people are content with simply being supporters. There is nothing wrong with being a supporter. We are all supporters of something and there is no stigma attached to being a supporter of anything unless that something is illegal or immoral by societal standards.  
  
However, some fans are not content to be simply a supporter. They also want to become a contributor. These fans watch the shows, attend the concerts, buy the books, attend the conferences, memorize the songs, and, sometimes, learn a new language all together. They immediately become something like a convert to a new religion. Their ‘fandom’ as it is called. These fans are unsatisfied with what they are given and wish for more. They become holes that the original creators cannot plug and thus they plug it themselves. This then leads to fan fiction and fan works in general.  
  
‘Fan Fiction’ is defined as a written narrative that is created by a fan based on a licensed work. ‘Fan Works’ refers to any type of creative medium (music, art, poems, and videos) also created by a fan of a licensed work. Some fan fictions are so excellently created that sometimes they even out strip the original.  
  
Modern fan fiction, as it is known today, appeared as early as 1939 in print form. It was used as an insulting remarking to amateur science fiction. The popular use and definition of fan fiction in pop culture today emerged with Star Trek in the 1960’s together with the publication of fanzines (a type of magazine published by fans of the show for other fans). Some of these fanzines contained fan fictions and were sold by prescription or at science conventions. Unlike other mediums, fan fiction authors have remained to have a majority female demographic. Not to say that there are no male fan fiction authors, just that the majority are female.  
  
Like music, art, and movies, fan fictions also have different genres. It also has romance, humour, tragedy, horror, adventure or a combination of all. There are also special genres like ‘For want of a nail fics’ where a single change could have a drastic impact on the events or personalities of the characters. Let me give you an example. The popular Harry Potter fan fiction Magical Relations by evansentranced. In the original, Harry Potter receives his Hogwarts letter and the adventure begins. In this story, Harry receives his letter and so does his bullying and magic hating cousin Dudley. You can see how that can affect the main story line.  
  
The legalities of fan fiction is largely contested in the West, specifically in the USA and Europe, due to the fact that most fandoms are western in origin and that the majority of fan fiction writers reside there. Officially, fan fiction is considered a ‘derivative work’ in the US legal system. This means that the created work contains materials that based upon an existing and copyrighted work but that the transformation, adaptation, or modification of the original work as well as the new author’s personal style has rendered the work into an original creation and is then protected from copyright laws. The “Organization for Transformative Works”, of which I was a member, is an international fan created, fan funded, and fan volunteer organization that promotes and protects the rights of fan fiction, its authors, and fan works in general.  
  
The creators of various original works and individuals associated with the works, such as actors and producers, have differing views on fan fiction. On one hand they embrace this and encourage fan fiction. In others, they despise it and call it stealing. Examples of the former are JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyer and actors such as James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender that not only know and acknowledge fan fiction but also actively encourage it. In fact, Fifty Shades of Gray was originally a fan fic of Twilight. On the other hand, examples of the latter are authors like Anne Rice and George R.R. Martin are in firm disagreement of fan fiction. They believe that fan fiction is the stealing of ideas that are their creations and encourage fan fiction authors to create their own original works.  
  
Whatever the stance in fan fiction, it cannot be argued that it is passionate and entertaining work. With hours of work put into writing by the authors, the readers themselves also spend hours upon hours in websites such as ‘fanfiction.net’ and ‘Archive of Our Own’ to immerse themselves in different prose. Some people are exposed to new fandoms when they are intrigued by a good summary and see that original and that original has gained a new fan.  
  
Some fan fiction author, contrary so stereotypes, are also professional authors. Some of these authors include the author of The Princess Diaries and the great Neil Gaiman. It is considered by many to be an effective set of training wheels. Authors can practice writing plots, characterizations, and, thanks to Alternate Universe fics, can start to create new worlds.  
  
In the end, what can’t be denied is that fan fiction authors are passionate fans that, in their own way, are giving homage to something that they love. They love a character so much and love a book so much that they don’t mind the work or the effort. They want to share what they have made to other fans so that they can appreciate it as well and that single review from a reader can sometimes be greatest gratification that an author can receive.  
  
Thank you for listening.


End file.
